Hopefully you’ve been following our journey on the road during Carnivores Tour thanks to Chideo. For those of you who don’t know much about it, Chideo is the first online interactive charity broadcast network where fans can get access to exclusive video content and experiences with their favorite celebrities while doing some social good.

In 2005, we started a nonprofit organization, Music for Relief, in response to the Indian Ocean tsunami that devastated many of the places we had just played on tour. Through Music for Relief, we are committed to utilizing our connections with other bands, people in the music industry and, most importantly, our fans to raise awareness for those in need. Since its inception, Music for Relief has raised over $6 million to aid survivors of natural disasters around the world and planted over 1 million trees to reduce climate change.

Right now, Music for Relief is responding to the deadly Ebola outbreak in West Africa. One of the most crucial aspects of fighting this deadly virus is having the protective gear to help those who are sick. Music for Relief is raising money for goggles, masks, gloves, full body suits and more for the brave aid workers responding to the crisis. The more gear they have, the better the chances there are of getting the virus under control and preventing it from spreading.

I want to encourage you all to get in on the conversation, and Chideo is a perfect place to get started. You can register on Chideo.com or download the Chideo app and you’ll gain access to behind-the-scenes video content (like our backstage dance party during Rob’s drum solo or Dave’s weirdest and most exciting backstage tour ever), not to mention you’ll be the first to hear about future sweepstakes opportunities to get up close and personal with the band. On top of all that, your generous donation will support our charity Music for Relief. A full protective suit costs about $350, but with all of you contributing, the impact can be great.

It’s been a lot of fun reading your questions and creating our video responses – we hope you’ve enjoyed them, too. Please know that you are making a difference by donating to Music for Relief on Chideo and helping people in the greatest need around the world.

Is it wrong for a charity to make money? Do the smartest people avoid working for charities? Is it bad for a charity to advertise? Is there a climate of risk-aversion in the non-profit world? Why do we have no problem with companies putting trillions in their personal pockets from selling throwaway toys, clothes, sneakers, trashy movies, violent video games, cigarettes, alcohol, and so many other things…but it’s somehow not acceptable for a charity to make money?

If we’re talking about protecting the planet, or healing and educating people, I would prefer the job go to a team based on talent and great ideas, not based on lowest cost. Watch the video, and I think you’ll find a new perspective on the important task of making the world better.

Many of you who visit mikeshinoda.com often know I’m passionate about helping new artists succeed. So it’s no surprise that I’m a part of two Grammy® programs right now, to do just that.

Leading up to award show tomorrow, I have been one of the curators of a program designed by The Grammys® to spread the word about fresh new talent. The other curators include RZA, Kelly Clarkson, Ozzy Osbourne, Jim James, Kaskade, and Snoop. Today, I’ll be tweeting links to some of the artists I think are great, as part of that program, so make sure to follow me on Twitter (@mikeshinoda) to hear some great new music today.

The “Amplifier” program has been a hit with the Grammy folks, and as such, they’ve decided to do more than just shout out the artists. So we just announced a new campaign called CenterStage.

Whereas with “Amplifier,” the prize was a tweet by a popular artist to their fanbase, “CenterStage” aims to prove a dream experience for an emerging artist, including things like studio time with Grammy® producers and engineers, an opening slot on a tour or festival, and a music video. The Grammy network of artists and talent is as deep as it gets, so it’s clear that the people the winners will be paired up with will be spectacular.

Sign up, encourage your friends, spread the word. CenterStage is an incredible opportunity for a brand new talent to get their big break. Go to hyundaicenterstage.com to sign up and vote.

A few months ago, I was approached by the editor of a magazine in the UK called “The Big Issue.” It is a news magazine that prides itself on being “a hand up, not a hand out.” They combat the problem of homelessness by offering eligible people the opportunity to earn a legitimate income by making money selling copies of the magazine.

I’ve since written two pieces for Big Issue. A new issue is out right now, with my first piece as their American Election Correspondent. You’ll have to get a copy of that one to read it; below is my first piece, from September.

POWERLESS: THE EFFECT OF INDIA’S OUTAGE ON LINKIN PARK

Mike Shinoda

In my band, Linkin Park, I help oversee songwriting, production, art direction, and social media. They are things I grew up doing. I’ve been drawing and making music since I was a toddler. My father worked in aerospace, and introduced us to the personal computer in 1984, shortly after Apple’s famous “1984” ad debuted. I’ve always been a fan of video games—I even started my own club with elementary school friends, centered on beating every Nintendo game we played (I had the team record, finishing a game one hour and fifteen minutes after I first turned it on).

In their words: “This means that Linkin Park has taken exceptional precautions in ensuring the safety of their concert goers at each venue. It’s about knowing what to do before a storm hits, not waiting for the storm to hit and scrambling to figure out a plan. We hope that many other bands will move to become StormReady, and we will remember that Linkin Park was first.”

I wanted to take a moment to respond to a couple things online that caught my eye. These responses seemed worth more time than a tweet, so I collected them for answers here.

1.) First off, thanks to the fans for making LIVING THINGS #1 in the U.S. this week. Billboard says that LP now holds the record for the most consecutive #1 albums on the Billboard 200 chart since the year 2000. A surprising bit of trivia, though: the five albums are Meteora, Collision Course, Minutes To Midnight, A Thousand Suns, and LIVING THINGS…Hybrid Theory, although it did stay in the Billboard Top 100 for over 100 weeks, peaked at #2, and never made it to #1.

Recently, our band’s business manager, Jonathan, shared a shocking story with us. His childhood friend had passed away from a heart attack at the young age of 42. At the funeral, Jonathan and his friends were talking about their mutual friend’s passing, and decided to all get their hearts checked.

Jonathan went to the doctor, who recommended a “CT Angiogram.” It bears mentioning that Jonathan is, at a glance, a very healthy guy. He’s arguably fitter than I am, eats better, and exercises more often. He has a wife and beautiful children. He had absolutely no reason to believe he had heart problems. Jonathan was waiting for results in the doctor’s office. The doctors came in, and were obviously not happy.

Jonathan was terrified.

They told him he had nearly 100% blockage in his heart. If he didn’t get immediate attention, he would have likely been dead within the month.

After calling his family and crying on the phone, he went into surgery. He ended up receiving a stent to restore blood flow, and decided to take on a lifetime change in diet and lifestyle. Since then, he has started a foundation called the Heartview Global Foundation. Their goals include: creating a fund to pay for the CT Angiogram for people who can’t afford it, spreading the message of awareness, and encouraging more medical insurance companies to cover the cost of these life-saving tests. Jonathan’s personal goal is to “save thousands of lives.”

If you have any family history of heart problems, or if you simply don’t know, please get tested right away.

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From Dr. Satinder Bhatia, MD:

Coronary CT angiography (CTA) represents a great advance in the early detection of coronary artery disease. Coronary artery disease (CAD – hardening of the arteries) is often clinically silent (no recognizable symptoms). Early detection of CAD can lead to aggressive prevention strategies to avert heart attacks and save lives. CTA represents a noninvasive modality for the early detection of CAD. Using an ultrafast scanner and injection of a contrast material through a peripheral vein, high resolution images of the coronary arteries can be obtained. Such images were previously only available via invasive coronary angiography that involves the introduction of catheters into the coronary arteries. CTA allows the visualization of the coronary arteries and detection of stenosis (narrowing), hard plaque (calcified cholesterol deposition), soft plaque (non calcified plaque) and vulnerable or high risk plaque (increased risk for acute events such as heart attack). This noninvasive technology is the only methodology that visualizes soft plaque. By identification of arterial disease, specific treatments can be applied for the prevention of cardiovascular events (heart attack, sudden death). CTA represents a major advance in the early detection of CAD in individuals at risk and allows the ability to detect disease in advance of symptoms or clinical presentation. Judicious application of CTA technology can lead to early detection and treatment of CAD, prevent heart attacks and save lives.